A Faded Legacy
Amy Brown Lyman and Mormon Women's Activism, 1872-1959
Will be published approx. on 31. October 2015
Book
Hardback
292 pages
978-1-60781-453-5 (ISBN)
Description
Amy Brown Lyman was a leader once admired for her dynamic personality, her inspiring public addresses, and for her remarkable vision of what Mormon women in the Relief Society could achieve. Yet today her name is barely known. This volume introduces her to a new generation, showing how the accomplishments of Lyman and her peers benefitted subsequent generations.
Dave Hall examines the roots and trajectory of Mormon women's activism. Lyman entered public life at a time when the practice of polygamy was ending and Mormonism was assimilating mainstream trends. The book recounts her involvement in the Relief Society, the Mormon women's charity group that she led for many years and sought to transform into a force for social welfare. Lyman's later life, after she resigned from the Relief Society amidst personal tragedy, offers insight into the reasons Mormon women abandoned an activist heritage for a more conservative role, that is again evolving.
Dave Hall examines the roots and trajectory of Mormon women's activism. Lyman entered public life at a time when the practice of polygamy was ending and Mormonism was assimilating mainstream trends. The book recounts her involvement in the Relief Society, the Mormon women's charity group that she led for many years and sought to transform into a force for social welfare. Lyman's later life, after she resigned from the Relief Society amidst personal tragedy, offers insight into the reasons Mormon women abandoned an activist heritage for a more conservative role, that is again evolving.
Reviews / Votes
"The book is particularly valuable in its exploration of the tensions between the Mormon experience and the tendency of Victorian America requiring women to strike a balance between home and the wider world. Scholars and general readers, will find much of value in this study."-John Sillito, Professor Emeritus of Libraries, Weber State University
"We need this book. There has been so much talk for so long about how scholars need to look at Mormonism in the twentieth century. Hall gets down in the trenches and actually does this-and does this well. It's very strong work."
-Susanna Morrill, associate professor of religious studies, Lewis and Clark University
"An important and compelling biography.... The craft with which Hall weaves disparate resources into Lyman's world clearly places her within the history of the American West and shows readers how she both influenced and was influenced by her time and place in the world."
-Association for Mormon Letters
"The story of Amy Brown Lyman...is not just a Mormon or a Utah or a woman's story-it's a very human one-and one deftly told by the author, Dave Hall, who has studied Lyman's life extensively."
-Bench Press
"While members of the LDS faithful will find much to enjoy in this biographical account, those outside of the LDS church will be equally intrigued by the questions arising from what happens when a woman's accomplishments are overshadowed by a husband's indiscretions. ... A Faded Legacy is a fascinating case study of a woman who navigated several spheres with intermittent peace and frequent turbulence, and it is a solid text for any gender studies curriculum."
-Utah Historical Quarterly
"The book is informative and well researched."
-Mormon Studies Review
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Salt Lake City
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
34 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
680 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-60781-453-5 (9781607814535)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dave Hall lectures in history at California State University Fullerton and Cerritos Community College, USA. His "A Crossroads for Mormon Women: Amy Brown Lyman, J. Reuben Clark, and the Decline of Organized Women's Activism in the Relief Society," won the T. Edgar Lyon Award for best article in Mormon history and the Western History Association's Arrington-Prucha Award for Best Article of the Year for Western Religious History.